February 20, 1967🇺🇸Document
Military BaseScience
Fort Belvoir: Condon team visits NPIC on UFO analysis
On February 20, 1967, Dr. Edward Condon and team members visited the CIA's National Photographic Interpretation Center at Fort Belvoir to learn about photogrammetric capabilities for UFO photos. They later met Pentagon officials, establishing technical support without public CIA attribution.
Background
Event Details On 20 February 1967, Dr. Edward Condon, David R. Saunders, William Low, William Price from AFRSTA, and Thomas Ratchford, a senior USAF scientist, traveled to the CIA's National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC) in Fort Belvoir, Fairfax County, Virginia. They met Arthur C. Lundahl, NPIC's founder, to explore analysis tools for photographic evidence.
Key Activities NPIC staff offered services for measuring objects in UFO images through photogrammetric methods, limited to technical work without public reports or CIA identification. Post-lunch, the group conferred with Brig. Gen. Edward B. Giller, director of the AF Special Weapons Center at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, in the Pentagon.
Significance This visit initiated informal liaison for the Condon Committee's UFO study, providing expert photo analysis while protecting agency involvement. It highlighted government support for scientific UFO investigation amid public scrutiny.
Connections
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